


Worth All the While

by LeChatRouge673



Series: Friendship February 2018 [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: friendship february 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 10:23:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13762107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatRouge673/pseuds/LeChatRouge673





	Worth All the While

_Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road_   
_Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go_   
_So make the best of this test, and don't ask why_   
_It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time_   
_It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right_   
_I hope you had the time of your life._

-“Time of Your Life” by Green Day

 

* * *

 

“Alright Lel, what do you think?” Cataline held up two bottles of polish, rotating them slightly between her fingers so the subtle shimmer caught the light. “The neutral taupe color, or the lilac with the gold shimmer overtones?”

“Do the lilac,” Leliana replied with a small smile. “Taupe is definitely _not_ a spring color. Do not listen to Josie if she tries to tell you otherwise.”

Cat laughed gently, passing her friend the smooth shadowy crimson polish that she knew was Leliana’s favorite. She also knew the reason that Leliana only ever painted her toenails: the other woman tended to pick at the polish on her fingernails when she was nervous or agitated, and Leliana Nightingale could not afford to show any such weakness. Not amongst most people, in any case.

“It’s been too long since we’ve done something like this,” Cat sighed, carefully brushing the paint onto her thumbnail.

“I know,” Leliana nodded, a shadow of regret in her eyes. “Things have just been so busy, for both of us. Still, I ought to have made more of an effort before now.” She set aside the sanguine polish to pour more tea into both of their cups, stirring honey into the steaming brew before settling back against the sofa.

“Me too,” Cat admitted. “How is Marigold? When is she due?”

 

“Any day now,” Leliana brightened at the mention of the matriarch of her nug brood. “Although the waiting list for her nuglets is getting a bit unwieldy. I know I ought to delegate it to Charter or one of my other people, but I just prefer handling it myself. I am extremely thorough in the vetting process.”

Cat bit back a smile. “I still cannot believe you single handedly made nugs the third most popular pet in Ferelden. You know word has gotten back to Orzammar, and now no upper class lady would be caught dead without a pet nug on a leash. Nug wranglers are now able to charge far more for ‘fancy’ pet nugs than they ever did for dinner nugs.”

Leliana allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. “Do they still creep Thea out?”

“Oh Maker, yes,” Cat laughed brightly. “It’s their paws: she thinks they look too much like hands.”

“She and Loghain seem happy,” Leliana raised a single eyebrow ever so slightly, the words a statement rather than a question.

Cat nodded in agreement. “They are. Not… not a match I would have expected, but I’ve seen the way they look at each other.”

“I imagine it is much the same look I see you and Nathaniel give each other,” Leliana observed, her tone uncharacteristically gentle. “How is Nate?”

“Good,” Cat reached for the clear top coat. “Dorian keeps threatening to retire early and go traveling with Bull, leaving the whole operation to Nate. Which may still happen, but we’re hoping it won’t be a few years yet. We’re probably going to spend a good chunk of the summer in Gwaren this year, depending on how everything shakes out with Orlais and that mess.”

“Does he still leave wildflowers on your dresser every morning?”

Cat’s smile brightened. “Yes, in the spring and summer, all the way into early autumn. If there are flowers in bloom, they show up on my dresser.”

Her friend gave a small, wistful sigh. “So romantic.”

They sat quietly for a moment, sipping their tea as their nails dried. When Leliana finally spoke again, her tone was oddly cautious.

“I had lunch with Alistair the other day.”

Cat exhaled slowly. It was an innocuous enough statement, but she and Leliana had been friends for many, many years, and she could read between the lines when the enigmatic former bard spoke. “What you are saying is that he told you about what happened at Thea and Loghain’s house last winter.”

“He mentioned it,” Leliana gave a small shrug, as if the incident held no more importance than an oddly shaped cloud.

“Did he tell you he provoked her, in her own house?”

Leliana’s smile softened slightly. “He knows he was wrong. He seemed more perplexed by _your_ behavior.”

“ _My_ behavior?”

“Hmm,” Leliana nodded in agreement, taking another sip of her tea. “Alistair told me that he was not entirely certain if you had been defending him, or yourself.”

“Damn,” Cat swore quietly. “To tell you the truth, Lel… neither am I.”

Leliana studied her for a moment, and for the first time in years Cat felt as though her friend could see straight through her; could see every unspoken thought and feeling and fear. Finally, she gave Cat a small smile. “Cataline… my dearest friend… how long have you been carrying that guilt?”

Cat looked at her hands. “I don’t know, Lel. Alistair and I have been friends for years. We were so close in college, even after we broke up. I mean, we were only dating for about a year when I realized that it was never going to work. But we were still friends, you know? And we stayed in touch, but after he and Mira moved out of town, things just kind of… faded. I do not know if it was my fault, or if it is just something that happened. Time, and change. I am not the same person I was fourteen years ago. Neither is he, and I know that is ok, but…”

“Cataline, sometimes friendships change,” Leliana reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. “Look at how much we’ve both changed since we first met?”

Cat gave a small giggle. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. We were so young, and so naïve.”

“ _You_ were young,” Leliana laughed. “You still are.”

“Oh, hush,” Cat poked Leliana with her toe. “You are barely five years older than I am, so don’t act like you’ve got one foot in the grave. And you are still one of my best friends. We tell each other everything.”

“I also see you on a regular basis,” Leliana pointed out, “And we text almost every day. Friendships take work. And sometimes, yes, there are friends you can go years without seeing and then they show up and you can pick up as if you never left off. Look at Zevran. We won’t hear a word for six months and then I wake up one morning to find him sleeping on my couch.”

“Only because you gave him a key,” Cat retorted. “You know he can’t pick locks worth a damn, and I won’t let him try and bribe Nate or Thea into teaching him.”

Leliana laughed. “Probably for the best. My point is, there are a lot of different types of friendship. And the one between you and Alistair has changed to one that is not as close as it was before, but that is alright. You have both grown up a lot since you met. And sometimes growing up means growing apart.”

“Growing up is awful, then,” Cat pouted, but she accepted a fresh cup of tea from Leliana.

“Growing up is what it is,” Leliana corrected. “Are you saying you are unhappy with how your life turned out?”

Cat thought about Nathaniel, and the years they had missed but also all the years they still had. She thought about Thea and Loghain and the life they were building together, and that they wanted her to be a part of. She thought about the woman seated beside her, who had been with her through the best and worst times of her life. “No,” she finally shook her head, “Of course not. I am happier now than I think I have ever been.”

“And I think Alistair is too,” Leliana replied gently. “I think it is time you let go of that guilt, Cat. Do not punish yourself for being human, and instead appreciate the friendship you still have.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Cat relaxed a bit, and when she smiled again it was brighter than before. “You know _you’re_ never getting rid of me though, right? I don’t care if you move to the Anderfels or Rialto Bay or to Val Royeaux, you will still be one of my best friends.”

Leliana frowned slightly.

“It’s funny you mention Val Royeaux…”

 


End file.
